Why do we isolate when depressed?

[JustHeckinKillMe]

?

 

[WinterIsComing]

I think is the shame and when you hear people saying that what you say is not a big deal

 

[signifying nothing]

Idk, for comfort? It can feel uncomfortable being out doing things around other people when you're depressed.

 

[ScorpiusDragon]

I think you just give up on finding true friendship and people you can be real around. Deep down inside, you know that even if you do meet up with people, you'll just be putting on a fake mask and pretending to be happy. Most people don't want to be around depressed people and are fair-weather friends.

 

[*Hope*]

I think is the shame and when you hear people saying that what you say is not a big deal

I relate to this so much ,I thought i was the only one.
Everyone dissmisses what I have to say, they say it's in your head and you need "love yourself"... It only makes things worse and it make you not want to talk to anyone because you know they wont understand

 

[Life_and_Death]

For me personally, I'm doing it to save my loved ones. They know something's wrong but I'm not saying anything.

 

[fixitinpost]

I had stopped feeling like myself, but kept acting like the person that people knew. Ultimately I became very uncomfortable with pretending.

 

[x~Sophia~x]

I had stopped feeling like myself, but kept acting like the person that people knew. Ultimately I became very uncomfortable with pretending.

I agree, it becomes exhausting to keep up the facade of pretending everything's OK so we push people away and isolate so we can relax and just be ourselves.

 

[LittleBabyNothing]

For me personally, I'm doing it to save my loved ones. They know something's wrong but I'm not saying anything.

Anything you want to say but can't elsewhere... i'm happy to listen if you need.

I agree, it becomes exhausting to keep up the facade of pretending everything's OK so we push people away and isolate so we can relax and just be ourselves.

And then i discover why i kept myself so busy in others... how uncomfortable i am in myself... how i loathe my own company and existence...

 

[Amumu]

There is a theory according to which depression is an evolutionary asset
because depressed people aren't likely to be surrounded by a lot of people,
which is helpful when there is a virus or a disease.

 

[Deleted member 94]

I self isolated myself so I can grieve without the threat of being sent to the hospital by anyone who sees me grieving. But I can't stop other people would just let it out and be done with it.

 

[WinterIsComing]

Is like animals that isolate theirself when they are feeling bad....
Is weird..i try to be surrounded with people but i feel alone since nobody listen...and they act empathetic or post those things like the suicide prevention day they copy/paste texts of listening, that they are nice people haha.

Ugh

 

[Moonomyth]

I don't know about people generally. I isolate myself because I don't like hearing platitudes of support when I open up to people. I don't really want it. Easier to avoid it.

 

[Wisdom3_1-9]

I think the natural human response to depression is to seek security. For many of us, being with people creates a vulnerability that can be difficult to overcome. In a sense, we want the human connection, but we also know it comes with the potential for asking questions we don't want to answer, being scrutinized for how we feel, showing a side of ourselves we don't want to show, or a host of any other anxiety-inducing tasks.

Isolation, on the other hand, is a situation over which we have control. I think that's why so many of us come here to SS. We can be alone, but at the same time, with others. And we control the level of our interaction. If things get to a point of discomfort, we can disengage with the click of a button.

 

[Spiral]

I think that we are just different from people who don't suffer from mental illness and depression. Even if they listen, even if we are lucky and they don't invalidate everything we say before we finish a sentence, even if they strain their brain as hard as they can trying to understand how we see the world..... they just can't do it. It doesn't help that our disease is completely invisible, I meet a lot of people who don't even believe in depression, and they think we are just lazy, those people are the worst.

It's not really their fault I suppose. It's just really annoying when they think they can help us with ''ideas'' that would help them if they felt bad.
Our brains are wired completely differently and their ideas are usually awful. We know they have good intentions and we don't want to be rude or upset them by telling them the truth that they are just making us feel worse so we avoid them all and hide.
Hiding is my personal favourite, I love being alone.
It is much easier to think without all the pressure to fit in and be like them too xD

 

[Deleted member 22624]

I wonder what the evolutionary reasons are. Is there a benefit? Maintaining an image of strength and success to maintain social standing? (Even though it destroys relationships). Maybe it's a protection mechanism. Hiding while vulnerable to not get taken advantage of. Or maybe it's to protect those who matter to us in some way. It might be a natural way of reducing relationships to the stronger ones to reduce time needed to be invested in maintaining less significant relationships

 

[wordsonscreen]

I feel like part of it is because people make us feel "wrong". They try to change us or make us "better". So it feels like a value judgement.

 

[muffin222]

Good question! For me, isolation is a survival strategy in a way; I isolate when feeling vulnerable or depressed as a way to shield myself from being hurt even further. I believe this does serve a legitimate survival purpose as well: we isolate when we're in a vulnerable state to shield ourselves from threats that we may not be as attuned to due to our depression.

I also feel guilty for bringing other people down with my sadness, though I know rationally that depression isn't a choice or something to be ashamed of.

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

Removing yourself from the spotlight so that the other primates don't see you as competition and start fighting you in your vulnerable state. The apes won't attack someone that isn't competing over females. When you're depressed you're not fit for fighting.

 

[Sherri]

Sometimes we need to be alone to gather our thoughts and " lick our wounds" . It's normal when we feel down. Sending you hugs.

 

[Deleted member 22624]

Removing yourself from the spotlight so that the other primates don't see you as competition and start fighting you in your vulnerable state. The apes won't attack someone that isn't competing over females. When you're depressed you're not fit for fighting.

And what depressed female wants to be around a chest-beating horny ape they need to fend off. I dunno what I'm saying really, but science is so fun

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

And what depressed female wants to be around a chest-beating horny ape they need to fend off. I dunno what I'm saying really, but science is so fun

They'd rather that than the depressed loner ape.

 

[Deleted member 22624]

They'd rather that than the depressed loner ape.

More than once I've known two depressed apes to pair off, it's a difficult relationship to get right but aren't they all

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

More than once I've known two depressed apes to pair off, it's a difficult relationship to get right but aren't they all

Could be, maybe.

 

[IsThisTheEnd?]

Removing yourself from the spotlight so that the other primates don't see you as competition and start fighting you in your vulnerable state. The apes won't attack someone that isn't competing over females. When you're depressed you're not fit for fighting.

this probably has some truth, I have felt mother nature has had a big part to play, but why does this natural problem not gone away or why does it just not naturally say right we are going to fight instead it says lay down and die? how does this help?

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

this probably has some truth, I have felt mother nature has had a big part to play, but why does this natural problem not gone away or why does it just not naturally say right we are going to fight instead it says lay down and die? how does this help?

1. Takes you out of harms way.
2. Invites help from other apes.
3. Saves energy.

 

[IsThisTheEnd?]

but probably alot of people here don't have anyone who will help and being like this will make you vulnerable and target for attack

my angle and it's kind of dark and this is the recovery section but my angle is mother-nature basically saying ok your no good and if your no good you got to go.


do primates commit suicide? or they just get left behind and eventually die?

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

but probably alot of people here don't have anyone who will help and being like this will make you vulnerable and target for attack

my angle and it's kind of dark and this is the recovery section but my angle is mother-nature basically saying ok your no good and if your no good you got to go.


do primates commit suicide? or they just get left behind and eventually die?

Pls reply if u want me 2 reply, I don't watch entire threads. We evolved to be constantly in social environments and not in modern society, obviously. In modern times being a psychopath narc is what is best, but we don't evolve fast enough to keep up with tech, ofc. Mother nature can't talk, you're saying it to yourself or remembering/imagining others saying it. Don't think primates commit suicide a whole lot, it does require some pretty advanced thinking and not going by feelings and urges.

 

[IsThisTheEnd?]

Pls reply if u want me 2 reply, I don't watch entire threads. We evolved to be constantly in social environments and not in modern society, obviously. In modern times being a psychopath narc is what is best, but we don't evolve fast enough to keep up with tech, ofc. Mother nature can't talk, you're saying it to yourself or remembering/imagining others saying it. Don't think primates commit suicide a whole lot, it does require some pretty advanced thinking and not going by feelings and urges.

maybe primates don't think like that but give up caring(become depressed) and take more risky chances either causing a increase likely hood of death or an increase in adrenaline and there mother-nature has done here job.

you do get apes that have been shunned etc I think I need to look a bit closer at animal behaviour it might hold some answers but I might just come back to the fact that once your shunned out the loop etc mother-nature do her job as you are no use anymore.

 

[Deleted member 22624]

I would love to know suicide rates say 50,000 years ago, what was suicidal behaviour actually achieving? How much was a mechanism to heal versus maybe a way to save the group from expending resources on someone not pulling their weight, so the person helps the group by CTBing, although given probable lack of methods they'd often have to be more desperate than many of us